Giro del Torrential Downpours

We've just arrived back home to the AIS base in Varese after a very soggy Giro del Trentino. We got everything - hot weather for the first stage, lightning and rivers running across the road on the second stage, and cold+wet on the third. We are all feeling a bit cheated by the wet weather... I was promised mid-30s and heatstroke by now!! Having said that, Summer in Europe officially starts tomorrow, so I am anticipating waking up to sunny skies and mid-30deg temps from hereon in.

More sunny skies, fewer muddy training rides like these I say

The team put in a strong show for the tour but some bad luck on the first stage put paid to GC hopes. Our GC rider, Vicki Whitelaw, is in stomping form but was unlucky enough to have 2 crashes early on stage 1, the second needing a bike change and some emergency mechanicals. Emma Pooley (Cervelo) won the tour, leading from start to finish after a 3 min solo win on the first stage. This was the stage with the 50km climb... where Emma showed why she is considered the best climber in the world at the moment. She has some pretty good teammates too!!

TE's reps in the women's pro peleton

Stage 2 came down to a bunch finish and our sprinter Megan Dunn was in good position for the win before someone took out her front wheel in the final few hundred metres.

Carlee, Megan and I laughing about what we were planning to do to that chick who took out Megan's wheel in the sprint

The race course itself was very cool and would have been awesome in good weather - some big climbs through the Dolomites, switchback descents and winding through mountain-lined valleys. Locals came out to cheer us on (no matter how far down we were) and we had police escorts and an army of marshalls making sure no cars got on the race course.

On the start line for stage 2

Not much more to report - I haven't seen tour results, but eventually they will probably be posted on the race website.

I do, though, have some pics... enjoy!